1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to air conditioners, and more particularly, to an air conditioner which can ventilate at the same time with cooling or heating of the room.
2. Background of the Related Art
FIG. 1 illustrates a related art air conditioning system which can cool or heat a room. As shown, the related art air conditioning system is provided with a compressor 1, a flow path control valve 2, an outdoor heat exchanger 3, an expansion device 5, and an indoor heat exchanger 4. There are an outdoor fan 3a adjacent to the outdoor heat exchanger 3, and an indoor fan 4a adjacent to the indoor heat exchanger 4. In the related art air conditioning system, the room having the indoor heat exchanger 4 provided thereto is cooled or heated under the control of the flow path control valve 2 which controls a flow path of gas refrigerant from the compressor 1. A process for cooling or heating the room with the air conditioning system will be discussed.
A process for cooling the room with the air conditioning system is as follows. In cooling operation, the flow path control valve 2 guides gas refrigerant from the compressor 1 to the outdoor heat exchanger 3. The gas refrigerant heat exchanges with air blow by the outdoor fan 3a, and is condensed into liquid refrigerant at the outdoor heat exchanger 3. In this instance, the outdoor heat exchanger 3 serves as a condenser, and discharges heat to an environment. The liquid refrigerant condensed at the outdoor heat exchanger 3 is provided to, and expanded at the expansion device 5 into a low temperature, and low pressure refrigerant, and vaporizes at the indoor heat exchanger 4. In this instance, as the vaporizing refrigerant absorbs vaporizing heat from an environment of the indoor heat exchanger 4, air around the indoor heat exchanger 4 is cooled. The cooled air is blown by indoor fan 4a into the room, to cool the room. The refrigerant vaporized at the indoor heat exchanger 4 is introduced into the compressor 1 again. The air conditioner repeats the foregoing process to cool the room continuously.
Next, a process for heating the room with the air conditioning system is as follows. In heating operation, the flow path control valve 2 guides gas refrigerant from the compressor 1 to the indoor heat exchanger 4. The gas refrigerant introduced into the indoor heat exchanger 4 heat exchanges with room air blow by the indoor fan 4a, and is condensed into liquid refrigerant. In this instance, the indoor heat exchanger 4 serves as a condenser 4, and discharges heat to an environment. The heat discharged from the indoor heat exchanger 4 is discharged into the room by the indoor fan 4a, to heat the room. The liquid refrigerant from the indoor heat exchanger 4 is expanded into low temperature, and low pressure refrigerant at the expansion device 5, and introduced into the outdoor heat exchanger 3. The refrigerant vaporizes, and absorbs heat from an environment, at the outdoor heat exchanger 3. Therefore, the outdoor heat exchanger 3 serves as an evaporator. The refrigerant vaporized at the outdoor heat exchanger 3 is introduced into the compressor 1 again, to repeat the foregoing process, for keep heating the room. Thus, the related art air conditioning system cools or heats the room by absorbing vaporizing heat from, or discharging condensing into, the room. However, the related art air conditioning system has a problem in that the room air is contaminated and dried when a certain time period is passed after the air conditioning system is started because the air conditioning system cools or heats the room air, and circulates through the room, repeatedly.
In the meantime, when users feel unpleasant as the room air becomes contaminated or dried, the user opens a window to ventilate the room. In this instance, since the room air having a substantial temperature from the external air is discharged to an exterior, resulting in a large energy loss. The cooling or heating of the room required until the room temperature reaches to a certain temperature after the ventilation increases power consumption, substantially.